Harry Potter and the Guilty Conscience
by Guardian of Nesh
Summary: As Harry sees Hermione running away and crying due to Ron's remarks about her not having any friends he realizes that he hasn't been very nice to Hermione. Knowing what she must be going through because of his years of friendless torment at the hands of Dudley's gang Harry goes to apologize and it all changes from there.
1. Chapter 1: The Apology

**Harry Potter and the Guilty Conscience**

**Chapter 1: The Apology**

"It's no wonder no one can stand her," Ron said, obviously referring to Hermione Granger, as he and Harry left Charms class, "She's a nightmare, honestly." Harry felt someone bump into him and looked up to see Hermione. He caught a glimpse of her face as she ran past and was startled to find her in tears.

"I think she heard you." Harry said a bit uncomfortably, he knew what it was like to feel like that. Dudley and his gang had made sure of that. It pained him to see anyone hurting like that. Sure Hermione was a bit of a bossy know-it-all but no one deserved to feel like that…

"So," Ron asked with a shrug, though to his credit he did seem mildly uncomfortable, "She must have noticed she hasn't got any friends." Harry felt a wave of guilt wash over him. Again Hermione Granger wasn't his favorite person in the world but he knew what it was like to be friendless. Harry glanced in the direction she had run off in, then at Ron, then back in the direction Hermione had gone.

"You can't seriously be thinking about going after her Harry," Ron asked, seemingly reading his thoughts. He merely nodded, "Come on mate, we don't even _like _her and we have class to get to." Harry could now truly see the depth of Ron's distaste for Hermione. Ron was not a fan of schoolwork of any kind whether it was classwork or homework. The fact that he was willing to use class as an excuse not to check up on Hermione after he made her cry really said something.

"Ron, I have to do this. I know how Hermione feels." Harry said simply. Ron looked at Harry as if he had just grown a second head or some such thing.

"Harry, she's a stuffy know-it-all, you're the Boy Who Lived-" Harry cut Ron off; he had a good idea where this was going.

"I was raised by my Muggle relatives who hate magic and treated me like dirt. I was bullied by my cousin and his gang who made sure I never had any friends. Wizards may treat me like a celebrity but _they_ didn't, I had to cook and clean and I lived in a cupboard under the stairs for almost as long as I can remember," Harry told him, his voice getting darker as he spoke, "You don't know me half as well as you think you do Ron and neither of us know Hermione. Seeing her cry made me realize I've been just as bad to her as my cousin and his friends were to me and it makes me sick." Harry began to walk in the direction Hermione had. Ron didn't follow but at the moment Harry didn't care.

Unfortunately for Harry, Hermione was faster than he'd thought. He had absolutely no idea where she had gone. Not only that but he wasn't entirely sure what he could say to the girl after the way he'd treated her, better than Ron had certainly but not by much. Harry was so absorbed in his thoughts that he ran into someone rather hard and the pair fell into a heap on the floor, whoever he'd run into had also dropped their books. His only clue was some blonde hair he'd seen out of the corner of his eye.

"_Oh, please don't let it be Malfoy," _he thought, _"I really don't need that right now."_ Harry looked up adjusting his glasses which had been knocked into a weird angle by the collision. He both was surprised and very much relieved to find that he had run into Katie Bell, a Chaser for the Gryffindor Quidditch team, she was a year ahead of him in classes. Harry hadn't spoken with Katie much outside small talk on the Quidditch pitch during practice but they were on friendly enough terms.

"Oh, sorry Katie, I'm a little distracted." he said as they stood up. Harry began to help Katie pick up her books.

"I'd say you're distracted Potter, aren't first year classes the other way," she asked in a teasing but friendly manner, "Then again I might be wrong, I did see that Granger girl, what's her name, running this way." Katie shrugged. Harry perked up at this.

"You saw Hermione, which way did she go," he asked urgently, "Please call me Harry, when people call me Potter it reminds me too much of Snape and Malfoy." He added the part about his name as an afterthought.

"She was headed off in the direction of the lavatory, I think," his teammate replied, clearly confused, "What's this about Harry? Why are you following her? Harry had difficulty looking Katie in the eye at that inquiry.

"I haven't been the nicest to Hermione," he admitted guiltily, "And one of my friends, though I don't know how long that will last now, said something really nasty about her that made me realize we've been treating her the same way people used to treat me. I was raised by Muggles who hated magic and made sure I had no friends and always felt miserable. I want to apologize to her and be her friend; that's what Hermione needs." he explained. Katie nodded thoughtfully.

"I'll come with you." she declared. Harry was simply dumbfounded by this.

"Are you sure about this," he asked, "I mean this isn't your problem Katie, this is my mess to clean up and you have a class to get to don't you?"

"Yeah, McGonagall will probably dock points from Gryffindor if I end up being late to Transfiguration class but if a fellow Gryffindor needs help, we're supposed to help them, our house is supposed to be like a family after all. You're doing the right thing Harry. If Hermione needs friends and I know about that problem and don't do anything about it that makes me just as guilty as the people who shun her." Katie told him. Harry nodded dumbly at this.

"We should probably go talk to Hermione then." He said.

"Right." The Chaser replied before leading him to the girl's lavatory. Upon arrival they could hear Hermione's sobs. Harry knocked on the stall door.

"Hermione, it's me, Harry, I wanted to-" Hermione cut him off.

"Go away, I want to be left alone!" she managed between sobs.

"Alright, I deserved that," Harry admitted, "I know I haven't been the nicest person in the world when it came to you Hermione but I want to start over. Ron's comment crossed a line and seeing you cry made me realize how much of a jerk I've been to you. Can we start over? I'd like to be your friend. As bossy as you are sometimes you've been right just as much. Like with Malfoy for example." There was a pause for a moment and Harry heard Hermione unlock the stall. When she came out Harry had to admit Hermione did not look well it all, her eyes red and puffy from all the crying she'd done.

"Do you really mean that," the bookworm asked uncertainly, "Do you really want to be my friend Harry?" He gave her a small smile.

"Of course I meant it Hermione; I'm just sorry it took this long to realize how horrible I've been to you." He told her.

"Apology accepted," Hermione gave Katie a questioning look, "I'm sorry did you need the stall?"

"No, I came with Harry to see if you were alright. I'm Katie Bell; I'm in Gryffindor too, just a year ahead of you." Katie explained with a chuckle. Hermione nodded.

"I've seen you around the common room. I'm a little confused though, why would you care about me?"

"I'm your housemate, it's what housemates are supposed to do," Katie replied with a shrug, "Now what's this I hear about some of our other housemates giving you trouble, teasing you and such. Harry mentioned a Ron, would that be Ron Weasley?" Harry nodded at this causing Katie to scowl.

"It's not just him though; the girls in my year haven't been very nice either." Hermione added, causing the older girl's scowl to deepen.

"Harry and I will talk to Fred and George about their brother as soon as we get the chance and as for those girls; I've got your back Hermione, I know more spells than they do." The Chaser assured her.

"Thank you." Hermione muttered beside herself

"Now Hermione, we'd better hurry if we want to get to class on time." Harry interjected. The Gryffindor bookworm blushed in embarrassment.

"You're right of course, let's go Harry." Hermione walked off briskly, not quite running. Harry smiled at this and shook his head.

"A stickler for the rules that one." He muttered to himself as he walked off after watching Katie begin to walk in the other direction. Harry and Hermione just barely made it to class on time. Harry decided to sit next to her in class for the rest of the day. Ron didn't seem too happy about it judging by the dirty looks he gave the pair but neither Harry nor Hermione paid them any heed.

Hermione was a bit stuffy at times he found, even more so than his first impression of her, but it was much easier to focus on his work when partnered with Hermione rather than Ron. When Hermione did get into one into one of her lecture moods, a gentle nudge in the right direction was all it took to snap her out of it. Harry got the distinct impression she, much like himself, hadn't spent much time with children their age and even less time observing them and their relationships than Harry himself had. He made a mental note to ask about it later.

Before long Harry and Hermione were headed off to the Great Hall for the Halloween feast. Harry continued down to the Great Hall and sat two seats away from Katie, with Hermione sitting in-between them. Harry was in awe of the live bats that flew about the room. The food appeared on the golden plates just as it had during the start of term banquet. Harry had just begun helping himself to a baked potato when Professor Quirrell came running in like he'd seen a ghost, no wait, Harry thought, ghosts are common here and generally benign, except for Peeves the poltergeist. No, Professor Quirrell came running in like a dragon had taken a leak in his turban. Everyone stared as he reached Dumbledore's chair.

"Troll- in the dungeons," He wheezed, "Just thought you should know." With his message delivered Quirrell fainted on the spot. There was an eerie moment of absolute calm as the words sank in and then pandemonium broke out all at once. Dumbledore shot of several purple fireworks from his wand to reestablish order.

"Prefects, you will lead your houses back to their dormitories. The staff will accompany to the dungeons in order to deal with the troll." That was when the organized chaos truly began. Prefects immediately began shouting and corralling younger student and leading them toward their dormitories. At the brisk pace they were moving it didn't take long to get to the Gryffindor common room.

"So how do you think a troll got into the school?" Harry asked. There was a lot of chatter going on in the common room; it was all about the troll really but even among housemates there were cliques Harry had noticed. So it was really a bunch of conversations going on in small gossip circles.

"I'm not sure Harry," Hermione said looking pensive, trolls aren't supposed to be very bright."

"Peeves probably let it in as a prank; it's nothing to worry about. The professors will take care of it." Harry and Hermione turned to find Katie approaching them with Fred and George Weasley.

"Personally I'm hoping the troll makes a nice big mess of the dungeon," Said Fred, or was it George, Harry could never quite tell, "That way we might get out of potions class for a while."

"Now that _would _be something dear brother," the other twin said, "but I think that rules out peeve as our prankster. He'd never do anything to help us students."

"It rules out every Slytherin too." The first twin said.

"Every teacher in the school is taking care of that troll," Hermione said, "The troll will be taken care of quickly and easily and classes will go on as scheduled." Hermione seemed absolutely sure she was right, as usual.

"Well Granger, I can see why our little brother didn't take a liking to you." One of the twins said. Katie swatted them on the arm gently.

"Fred, the girl's been through enough with your brother, you don't need to add to it." Harry as surprised that Katie could even tell the twins apart. Then again she had known them longer.

"Yes, you're right. I'm sorry Hermione." Fred said.

"It's alright." Though Hermione still looked slightly hurt. At least Fred had apologized for his mistake unlike Ron.

"That does bring up the question of what we're going to do about our darling little brother," George said, "We could have the Quidditch team mob him. Wood wouldn't go along with it of course but he's a bit of a stick in the mud." The twins chuckled at the joke.

"He would if we told him it was to promote team unity," Fred quipped, "What do you think Harry?" Harry got an uncomfortable feeling in his gut. As unhappy as he was with Ron right now he didn't want to see his possibly former friend get hurt.

"Whatever you're going to do to Rom, leave me out of it. He's already mad at me; I don't want to make it any worse."

"We were just going to do a harmless prank on him. Don't worry Harry." With the conversation seemingly over the older members of the group parted ways with the first years. Not too long after that Professor McGonagall came through the portrait hole and announced that the troll had been dealt with. As it turned out it had not been in the dungeons but rather the girl's bathroom. Harry went to bed that night very thankful that he'd gone to apologize to Hermione. Who knows what might have happened otherwise.

* * *

Ok, I really shouldn't be starting another story but I wanted to try my hand at Harry Potter fanfiction and this idea was nagging me.

Let's get some things out of the way shall we?

1. Yes, this is a Harry/Hermione romance fic.

2. Katie Bell will be the third member of the trio.

3. There will be some mild Ron bashing because I think he's a bit dim but he's not going to become a Death Eater or anything.

4. This is_ not_ an evil/manipulative Dumbledore fic.

5. The chapter will get longer, this was just an intro.

* * *

I'd like to see more fics with this basic premise so I'm going to issue a challenge with the following stipulations:

1. Harry goes to check on Hermione in the bathroom and apologies/befriends her before the troll attack so Hermione is not in the bathroom with a troll.

2. This causes a falling out with Ron that never totally heals but doesn't make them enemies.

3. Katie Bell becomes the third member of the Golden Trio.

4. The trio should befriend Luna as quickly as possible while still keeping her in Ravenclaw.

5. It should be a Harry/Hermione fic. Other than that go nuts.


	2. Chapter 2: Quidditch amd Secrets

**Harry Potter and the Guilty Conscience**

Okay so first off, thank you to everyone who reviewed, favorite and put this on their alert list. I've never seen my inbox so flooded in my life. Seriously the popularity of that one chapter alone really took me off guard. I do plan to take this through all seven books o we're looking at a long haul here and I hope you'll all enjoy the ride, now on with the story.

**Chapter 2: Quidditch and Secrets**

As November rolled around winter hit Hogwarts hard. The Black Lake had frozen over and the ground was covered in frost every morning. Hogwarts had become the very picture of a winter wonderland. It looked like one of those postcards you'd get on vacation.

Harry didn't care about any of that though. He was too busy staring at Hagrid defrosting brooms on the Quidditch pitch. At long last the Quidditch season has arrived and nothing filled Harry with more dread. It was just his luck that he had to play in the first match of the season, against Gryffindor's eternal rival Slytherin. No pressure there, it wasn't like the Seeker was important or anything. It was just the entire game on his shoulders pretty much. No pressure.

It was almost comforting to know that Katie was as nervous as he was. After all, this would be her first game too. It was nice to have a friend who understood what he was feeling. He'd been spending a lot of time with Katie since Halloween, even off the Quidditch pitch. Part of it was that Katie had taken Hermione under her wing so to speak, warding off any problems with the other girls in Harry and Hermione's year and since Harry and Hermione were friends now he was just around her more often. The other part of it was that they were fast becoming good friends in their own right.

"At this rate we won't have to worry about the game," Katie complained after a particularly brutal practice, "Wood will kill us before we even get to play." It was true; Wood had the team on the pitch as often as he could manage it. The last minute practices he was putting them through were going on until you could barely see your hand in front of your face it was so dark. The two of them had been the last ones to make it back to Gryffindor Tower and had plopped own in a pair of scarlet armchairs. Normally they would've just gone to bed but both of them were too sore to move that far at the moment.

"Yeah, I don't know how I'd get through my homework without Hermione helping me. She really is a life saver. I don't know how you're doing it Katie." Harry said.

"It's not easy. I took a nap this afternoon and used my potions essay as a pillow." She said.

"Don't let Snape hear you say that; he'll probably take points from Gryffindor for disrespecting the noble and subtle art of potion making or something." Katie laughed at that.

"He would totally do something like that."

"So," Harry said, shifting the subject slightly, "How do you think everyone found out about me playing Seeker? Wood and McGonagall have been trying to keep that a secret ever since I was recruited. What with me being the secret weapon and all."

"I don't know I doubt it was any of our teammates, they care too much about winning the game to go bragging about our secret weapon before our first game," Katie shrugged, "One of the first things you'll learn is that it's really hard to keep a secret at Hogwarts Harry." Harry smirked thinking of the three-headed dog on the third floor corridor.

_"You have no idea how right you are Katie."_ He was honestly surprised no one else had stumbled on the thing considering professor Dumbledore had warned people to stay away. That was practically an invitation to go poking around and the only thing stopping anyone from entering the room was a padlock that could be opened by a first year spell. It was kind of odd now that he thought about it.

"What are you smirking about?" Katie asked.

"Oh, nothing important, just thinking." Harry said hurriedly. He didn't want to get Katie involved in that if he didn't need to. It wasn't that he didn't trust her, it was just this smelled like trouble and if something did happen Harry didn't want her going down with the rest of them.

"What are you hiding Harry?" Katie asked pointedly. Well this wasn't going well, he'd have to think of something to tell her, and fast. Preferably something that wasn't a lie. Thankfully something came to mind almost immediately.

"I kind of told Ron that I was going to be the new Seeker before we had that fight. I told him to keep it a secret but I'm guessing he probably didn't and that's how it spread around the school, sorry."

"That would make sense. Why exactly did you tell him? It was supposed to be a secret." Katie sounded more curious than angry so Harry had no trouble answering.

"He was the first friend I'd ever had, or so I thought anyway. He really liked Quidditch and I was excited so I told him. It's a shame that friendship didn't last very long…" Harry said mournfully. He really wished things could be different between him and Ron but ever since he'd gone to make sure Hermione was okay Ron had done nothing but glare at him. Harry didn't need a friend like that.

"It's understandable Harry; I don't think anyone will get mad at you over it. Except Wood of course, but he's nuts. At the rate he's pushing us pretty soon I won't be able to even hear the word Quaffle without having nightmares."

"Nightmares, but you love Quidditch Katie."

"Yeah I do, but honestly Wood's a bit obsessive. Don't get me wrong, I want to win jut a much as anyone else, I just think all this practice is a bit much." Harry glanced over at the fire, it was little more than embers now.

"Well we should probably get to bed." Harry said.

"Yeah I'll see you in the morning Harry." Katie replied and with the two students parted ways.

The next morning in the Great Hall something odd happened. Ron approached Harry.

"Hey mate." He said as if they had never fought. Harry eyed him suspiciously.

"Unless you're here to apologize to Hermione I don't want to hear it Ron." He said simply, turning his attention back to his plate of scrambled eggs.

"You're still on about that Harry, what's gotten into you mate?" Harry was about to answer but Katie beat him to it.

"Yes, we're still on about it. You're comments sent Hermione crying into the girl's bathroom which was later attacked by a troll. She could've died if Harry and I hadn't had the forethought to check on her and it would've been your fault."

"So," Ron said with a shrug, "No harm, no foul." The Gryffindor table, normally abuzz with conversation became deathly silent. Other than Ron every person at that table had one of two expressions: shock, or murder.

Ronald Weasley quickly found himself staring down the business end of eight wands. Those wands belonged to the Gryffindor Quidditch team, who showed solidarity whenever they could, and Hermione herself. The youngest Weasley boy's face quickly drained of color, and justifiably so considering most of those wands belonged to people who knew more spells than him and two of them belonged to his prankster twin brothers.

"I think breakfast is over for you Ron." Hermione said completely calm though the ice and threat in her tone was not missed on anyone. Members of Gryffindor house may not have been as renowned for unwavering loyalty as those in Hufflepuff but that by no means meant that they didn't look after their own.

"Now see here," a voice cut through the tension like a knife, "Put those wands away immediately." All at once the eight wands moved away from Ron Weasley and were trained on Percy Weasley.

"Shut up Percy our little brother needs to be taught a lesson." Fred and George said at the same time.

"You can't threaten me, I'm a prefect." Percy said as if the title would protect him. As it so happened Professor McGonagall walked over and cleared her throat.

"And just what is going on here?" she asked sternly.

"Nothing professor we're just policing our own house." Wood said.

"I see, well, in the future, please do it without pulling wands on each other." It was clear that she'd heard everything that had gone on, approved of their actions, and was just making a show of discipline.

"Yes professor." Wood said speaking for the group as they all put away their wands. Satisfied Professor McGonagall walked away. The group turned their attention back to Ron who seemed sufficiently cowed left the Great Hall.

"So, Fred, George, how's that prank coming along?" Harry asked once Ron was gone.

"It's almost finished." George said.

"I'm not sure it's needed after this though." Fred added.

"Do it anyway, why waste a good prank?" The twins got devilish smiles at that and it seemed to Harry that their respect for Katie had just one up considerably.

"That is a good point." George mused.

'Oh Harry," Hermione said suddenly, "I checked this out from the library. I thought you might find it helpful or at least interesting." She pulled a book out of her bag and handed it to him. Harry glanced at the title: _Quidditch Though the Ages_. Harry gave his bushy haired friend an appreciative look.

"Thanks Hermione, I'm sure it will help out a lot." All the drama done everyone was able to finish their meal in peace. Harry did indeed find _Quidditch Through the Ages_ very helpful and rather interesting too. He learned for instance that every single Quidditch in existence had been committed during the first World Cup.

Harry read the book whenever he could; it was an amazing stress reliever. Sadly though it didn't last. Only a day before the game it was taken away by Snape. Harry, Hermione, and Katie had all been taking a walk outside, warmed by so bluebell flames Hermione had put in a jar when Snape came up and took the book. His justification being that library books couldn't be taken outside; he'd taken five points from Gryffindor as well.

"Sorry Hermione," Harry said, "That was your book and now Snape has it because of me."

"It's not your fault Harry; he was just making that rule up." Katie told him.

"I still feel bad, how's Hermione going to return it when the time comes, she'll get in trouble with Madam Pince." Everyone, even the Slytherins knew not to cross the Hogwarts librarian.

"Don't worry Harry, we'll figure something out," Hermione assured him, "Did you notice he was limping? I wonder what's wrong with his leg?"

"I don't know," Harry muttered, "but I hope it hurts a lot." As the day wore on Harry's nervousness came back in full force. He really wished he had _Quidditch Through the Ages_ to help him relax. He could tell Katie was getting nervous too. Harry wondered if Wood knew what he was doing putting two completely green players on the team. He really hoped this wouldn't backfire spectacularly.

By the next day Harry had come up with a plan to get the book back. Hermione had been helping him with his charms work in the excited atmosphere that was the common room before the first match of the season when he told her what he had in mind.

"Why should I be afraid of Snape? I'm just going to ask him for the book back." He said. Hermione looked concerned.

"Better you than me." She said. It wasn't a good sign when _Hermione_ didn't want to talk to a teacher. Harry had a plan though.

"I figure he won't say no if we're around other teachers. I'm just going to go down to the staff room and ask him for it." Harry got up and moved to enact his plan. He got to the staff room without issue. He knocked on the door but there was no answer. He tried again but again there was no answer. Maybe Snape had left the book in there?

It was worth a try. Harry opened the door ajar and was greeted by a most gruesome sight. Snape and Filch were in there alone. That would've been horrifying enough on its own but Snape was holding up his robe revealing a bloody and mangled leg that Filch was handing him bandages for.

"Blasted thing," Snape was saying, "How are you supposed to keep your eyes on all three heads at once?"

Harry tried to close the door quietly but –

"POTTER!" Snape's face twisted with fury and he dropped his robes quickly to hide his leg. Harry gulped in sheer terror; he'd never seen Snape this mad before.

"I just wondered if I could have my book back." He said quickly.

"GET OUT! _OUT_!" Harry decided not to press the issue and ran before Snape could take any more points from Gryffindor. He sprinted back to the common room like his life depended on it and Harry honestly wasn't sure it didn't.

"Did you get it," Hermione asked as he entered the common room. He wanted to tell her what he had seen but Katie was with her now and he still wasn't sure if he wanted to get the older girl involved in this mess, "What's the matter Harry?"

"Do you remember what we found when Malfoy challenged me to that duel Hermione?" Harry hoped she would get the hint and make this conversation private. Realization dawned in her eyes.

"Okay, I'm totally lost," Katie said, "What's this about?" Harry glanced at Katie and then looked to Hermione; this was her secret too, if she wanted to tell Katie they would. Hermione seemed to understand the question in his eyes. She glanced at Katie then looked back to Harry and nodded. That settled it then, they would tell her.

"Katie, do you remember that story in the _Daily Prophet_ about the Gringotts break-in," Harry asked in hushed tones. She nodded, "The vault that was going to be robbed was had already been emptied that day. That happened on my birthday. Hagrid took me to Gringotts for the first time and while we were there he emptied vault 713."

"That could be purely coincidence," Katie said, "and I don't see what it has to do with Hermione's library book."

"Malfoy challenged me to a duel in the Trophy Room earlier in the year. It was a setup of course and I feel for it, he'd just wanted to get me in trouble. Ron and I had snuck out to go have the duel Hermione tried to stop us but got locked out of the common room because the Fat Lady had left he portrait. Neville was there too because we woke him up leaving. Anyway the four of us had to run from Filch and ended up going into the third floor right corridor."

"It was easy enough to get into," Hermione said with disgust in her voice as she picked up the narrative, "There was nothing to stop anyone from entering but a padlock a simple _Alohamora_ could open. What we found there was a Cerberus-type dog standing on a trapdoor."

"What would something like _that _be doing in a school?" Katie looked absolutely terrified.

"Guarding something." Hermione said simply.

"Probably whatever was in vault 713," Harry said, "and I think Snape I trying to steal it."

"Harry, I know he's not very nice but he wouldn't steal something that was brought to Hogwarts to be looked after."

"Hermione I heard him talking to Filch about trying to get past that dog and _I saw his leg_. It was all bloody and mangled like something had taken a bite out of it. Are you saying I'm lying?" He asked pointedly

"Well no Harry," Hermione wilted and shifted uncomfortably and Harry felt bad for being so harsh, "I just can't believe it."

"Normally I'd be skeptical too but that's some pretty convincing evidence." Katie said.

"We can't even tell anyone because no one would believe us, and even if they did we'd get into trouble for knowing things we shouldn't." Harry mused.

"Right so this is our little secret." Katie said, and with that the group broke up for the night.

The next morning all thoughts of Snape and three headed dogs had left them. Today was the first Quidditch match of the season and everyone's mind was on that. Harry stared down at hi plate of food in the Great Hall, more moving it around with his fork than actually eating.

"Come on Harry, you need to keep your strength up, it's always the Seekers that get clobbered by the other team." Said Seamus Finnigan.

"Thanks Seamus." Harry said sourly as he watched the boy pile ketchup on his sausages. Katie glowered at Seamus.

"Harry, I know you're nervous, I am too, but starving yourself isn't going to help." She said. She was clearly forcing herself to eat but at least she was taking her own advice to heart. Harry knew she was right and thus forced himself to eat. Ron came up to Harry trying to wish him luck but Harry waved the redhead off as he still hadn't apologized to Hermione.

By eleven o'clock the whole school seemed to be out in the stands around the Quidditch field. Many students had binoculars. The seats may have been raised high in the air but it was still hard to see what was going on sometimes.

With both of her friends playing in the game Hermione was sitting in the stands with Neville, Seamus, Dean Thomas, and much to her chagrin, Ron in the top row. Dean had painted a sheet that Scabbers had ruined as a surprise for Harry. It read _Potter for President_ and had a large Gryffindor lion under it.

Meanwhile in the locker room the Gryffindor Quidditch team was changing into their scarlet robes. Wood cleared his throat for silence.

Okay men," He said.

"And women." said Chaser Angelina Johnson.

"And women," Wood agreed.

"This is the big one," said Fred.

"The one we've all been waiting for." said George.

"We were on the team last year; we know Wood's speech by heart."

'Shut up you two, this is the best team Gryffindor's had in years. We're going to win, I know it." Wood glared at them all in turn as if to say "Or else."

"Well it's time, good luck to you all." Harry followed Katie out of the as he tried to keep his breakfast down.

"Alright I want a good clean game from all of you," Madam Hooch was refereeing and she seemed to be speaking specifically to the Slytherin captain Marcus Flint as she said this, Mint your brooms please." Madam Hooch did so herself and before blowing her whistle and releasing the various balls. The first Quidditch match had begun.

Harry only paid passing attention to the commentary as he was focused on looking for the Snitch. That was after all his only job in this game. So Harry flew high above the others hoping to avoid the Bludgers. Harry heard the commentator Lee Jordan mention the Snitch. Harry looked and sure enough there it was.

In a rush of excitement Harry dove for the Snitch. The Slytherin Seeker Terrance Higgs was right there with him but Harry was faster. He could see the little golden ball… WHAM! A roar of indignation rose from the Gryffindor section of the stands. Marcus Flint had blocked Harry on purpose. Madam Hooch called a foul and gave Gryffindor a free shot at the goal but in the confusion the Snitch was lost. Harry dodged a Bludger and went back up to a safer altitude. Then it happened. His broom bucked suddenly.

"Don't know what Harry thinks he's doing," Hermione heard Hagrid, who had joined them in the stands, say as he peered through a pair of binoculars.

"Could something have happened to his broom when Flint ran into him?" Seamus asked.

"Can't have," Hagrid replied, "Nothing can interfere with a broom except powerful dark magic, no kid could do that to a Nimbus Two Thousand." At these words Hermione grabbed hi binocular and searched frantically through the crowd. She quickly found Snape sitting across from them performing a very obvious jinx on Harry's broom.

Wordlessly she made her way through the crowd, not even stopping to say sorry as she ran into Professor Quirrell, knocking him head first into the seat in front of him. Her only focus right now was on saving Harry.

Hermione quickly made her way to Snape and with a few well-chosen words set his cloak on fire with blue bell flames. By this time Harry had completely lost control and was speeding toward the ground, back in control of his broom. People saw him clasp his hand over his mouth like he was going to be sick. Harry coughed and something gold came out in his hand.

"I've got the Snitch!" he shouted holding it up. Marcus Flint tried to argue that he hadn't caught it properly but it was no use, Gryffindor had won the game.

Twenty minutes later Harry was being made a cup of strong tea in Hagrid's hut with Katie and Hermione.

"It was Snape; he was jinxing Harry's broom." Hermione said, explaining what she'd done during the game.

"Nonsense," said Hagrid, "Why would Snape put a curse on Harry's broom?" The trio looked at each other, trying to decide how much to say.

"I kind of found something out about him," Harry said, He tried to get passed that three headed dog on Halloween and it bit him." Hagrid dropped the teapot.

"How do you know about Fluffy?" He asked.

"_Fluffy_?" Katie asked, disbelieving.

"He's mine I got him of a Greek fella I met in the pub last year. I lent him to Dumbledore to help protect the-"

"Yes?" Harry pressed.

"Nothing." Hagrid said stiffly.

"But Snape's trying to steal it."

"Snape is a Hogwarts teacher, he' not about to steal anything." Hagrid said.

"Then why did he try to kill Harry?" This afternoon had certainly seemed to change Hermione's view on Snape.

"Now I don't know why Harry's broom was acting like that but I'm sure Snape had nothing to do with it. He would never kill a student. Now you forget all about that dog and what it's guarding. That's strictly between Professor Dumbledore and Nicholas Flamel!"

"Aha! So there's someone named Nicholas Flamel involved!" Harry said. Hagrid looked furious with himself.


	3. Chapter 3: Downtime

**Harry Potter and the Guilty Conscience**

**Chapter 3: Downtime**

It took another week but Fred and George finally unleashed their prank on Ron. Harry didn't see how they did it, some kind of potion he assumed but it had certainly been entertaining. The minute Ron had taken a sip of his morning pumpkin juice he saw the first one. A spider. It was nothing threatening, just a common garden spider, it was a tiny thin too, and it was headed straight for Ron.

Harry had some tolerance for spiders having lived in a cupboard under the stairs for most of his life. He didn't exactly like them, but he didn't freak out like most people did when around the arachnids. Most people would've brushed the spider aside or tried to kill it some way. Harry quickly found out that Ron Weasley was _not_ most people, and so did the entirety of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Upon seeing the tiny and in reality mostly harmless, spider Ron began shrieking in a pitch that most people associate with female opera singers, or boys with tight underpants. All the color drained from his face which accentuated the look of pure unadulterated _terror_. The sound of snickering coming from the direction of the twins let Harry know that this was indeed their prank.

"Sp-spider!" Ron managed to sputter.

"What's the matter Weasley afraid of one little bug?" Malfoy teased. This drew uproarious laughter from the Slytherin table. Harry had to roll his eyes; Malfoy had just proven how ignorant he was. Even with his not applying himself in school so he didn't incur the wrath of his Uncle Vernon Harry knew that spiders weren't insects. He could see Hermione was fuming at this misnomer and she looked like he was about to jump up and correct Malfoy but Harry gave her a look that said "This isn't the time."

Besides, there was more show to watch. Malfoy had been wrong about more than what class of animal a spider was. He'd also been wrong about the number of spiders. Hogwarts was a thousand year old castle, give or take, so it was bound to have more than a few spiders in its walls. It seemed to Harry at least that whatever Fred and George had done to Ron was attracting every single one of them. Within minutes the floor was quite literally crawling with spiders of every shape and size, and every last one of them was headed straight for Ron Weasley.

The effects were immediate. First and foremost every single student in the Great Hall got as far away from Ron as they possibly could. In this single moment all house rivalries were forgotten as everyone tried to keep the human spider magnet as far away from them as possible, whether it was by just moving to the walls or out the doors, or even using spells. It truly said something when even the Gryffindors and Slytherins were willing to put aside even their mutual contempt for one another to contain you.

No student made an effort to help Ron in any way. The Gryffindors, had gotten the message that to help Ron meant making enemies of Fred and George when the Quidditch team had pulled their wands on him, the Slytherins hated him on principle, the Ravenclaws held him contempt for his already growing reputation for dimness, and the Hufflepuffs, normally the most friendly and helpful people one could ever hope to meet had heard about his treatment of Hermione and it so offended their sensibilities that not even _they_ would lift a finger to help Ronald Weasley. In that single enlightened moment it became clear that Ron was a pariah to the student body.

The second effect was far more comical, if not as revealing as the first. Ron began running around the room like a beheaded chicken trying to escape his eight-legged pursuers. This failed for two reasons: one the spiders followed him wherever he went, and two, the aforementioned and unprecedented display of student unity that shepherded him to the middle of the Great Hall. With no possible route of escape Ron watched in horror as the spiders began to crawl all over his body. His shriek climbed in pitch to the point where it was no longer audible to human ears, although Harry was now worried that a very angry Fluffy might burst into the hall because Ron had interrupted its nap. Finally Ron began to hyperventilate and passed out in the middle of the Great Hall.

It took the staff several minutes to wade through the carpet of spiders to get to Ron but when they did it was found that he was lying in a puddle of his own making and there was a very smelly present in his underwear. Hi unconscious form was quickly taken to the hospital wing to recover, the spiders still following. The rest of the student body was dismissed from the Great Hall to enjoy the rest of their Sunday. From that day forward Ronald Weasley would forever carry the nickname Spider-Man, much to the annoyance of Mugleborns and Half-bloods who were fans of the American comic book superhero of the same name.

Once back in the Gryffindor common room the whole house was having a good laugh at the youngest attending Weasley's expense. No one dared do it in front of the staff, but here, nothing was going to stop them.

"So Ronald's a bit of arachnophobia?" Hermione asked with a small twinkle in her eye.

"Yeah," said Fred, "Our dear little brother has always been afraid of spiders."

"But even we didn't think our prank would work that well. We really outdid ourselves this time, and so did Ron." George said with a hearty laugh.

"I just hope he'll earn his lesson about treating people badly," Harry said, "I hate being so cruel but this really is a lesson he needs to take to heart."

"What are you talking about Harry, you had nothing to do with this prank," Katie said, "I told Fred and George about how he treated Hermione and they came up with this on their own time and initiative."

"Not that we need an excuse to torment our little brother." George put in.

"It does warm our hearts to do it knowing we're helping a noble cause though." Fred added.

"Still it was rather cruel. To think you did that to him on my account…" Hermione looked very uncomfortable with this knowledge. She squirmed in her seat and hung her head in shame.

"How he's treated you is cruel Hermione, we're you friends and we can't just let him get away with that. So we're making an example of him." Katie said.

"Katie's right Hermione, Ron's the problem, not you. If he apologizes I'll be willing to give him a second chance. If he doesn't, well then I want nothing to do with him, and if he keeps treating you badly then I will do whatever it takes to make him stop. I won't let people walk all over my friends."

"Thank you Harry, I know fighting with Ron can't be easy for you, he's your first friend." Hermione said.

"He made it easy when he made you cry Hermione. As far as I'm concerned he and I were never friends; you and Katie are the first friends I've ever had."

"Aw how sweet," the twins chorused, making kissy noises, "Harry and Hermione siting in a tree-"The both subject of the song blushed in embarrassment and tried in vain to hide it.

"Now that's enough you two, you're embarrassing them. It is sweet how concerned they are about each other but it doesn't mean they like each other like that. Harry did mention me in the same sentence after all." Harry and Hermione gave Katie grateful looks.

"Aw is little Bell jealous?" the twins teased. The group shared a good-natured laugh.

"You think this is funny," Percy asked cutting through the moment of levity, "You think what you did to our little brother is funny? I ought to report you for this and see you properly punished.

"Go ahead Percy," Fred said, "What are they going to do, give us detentions? So what? We get detentions all the time. You act like it bothers us." Percy was slowly turning a shade of red to match the famous Weasley hair.

"Now see here, you-" Percy was clearly having trouble articulating his words, "Well I'll just owl mother!"

"You do that," replied George, "We'll send her one too, talking about what Ron did. Oh, she'll still be mad at us for the prank but don't think for a second she'll let him off the hook. If we're going down we're taking Ron with us."

"You can barrow Hedwig if you need an owl." Harry offered. With that the oldest of the Weasleys left the room, clearly disgusted by what he was witnessing. He wasn't missed.

* * *

Albus Dumbledore watched Minerva McGonagall enter his office. She was as prompt as ever. Good, he wanted to get to the business as soon as possible. She sat down in the chair opposite his with the usual stern look on her face that she nearly always wore, though there was a hint of confusion in her face that only those who really knew her could pick up on.

"You wanted to see me Albus?" She asked. Dumbledore gave her a disarming smile.

"Yes Minerva, there is a matter I wish to discuss. Lemon drop," The aged Headmaster offered her the dish full of Muggle candy, which she politely refused. Unperturbed by this Dumbledore popped a lemon drop into his mouth and continued, "I wanted to inquire as to the progress of young Mr. Potter. What is your impression so far?"

"What's this about Albus? You usually don't inquire after single students." Dumbledore resisted the urge to sigh. Sometimes Minerva was too curious for her own good. He wished he could tell her everything; it wasn't that he didn't trust the woman. Far from it, Minerva was one of his most trusted friends.

No, it was more that even he only had the barest suspicions about what had really happened the night Tom Riddle was vanquished. He didn't want to cause a panic before he was sure it was necessary. That was part of the reason he'd put the stone in the school. If Tom was still out there, as Dumbledore thought he was, then he would know about the Philosopher's Stone and come after it. It was bait to lure the dark wizard out of hiding.

He'd make sure that the man who called himself Lord Voldemort couldn't get his hands on the powerful magical artifact of course, Albus Dumbledore had been called many things over his lifetime, but stupid was not one of them. He had been called crazy on many occasions, and that might've even been true, but never stupid.

"You know I never do anything without a reason Minerva. As his Head of House you've had the most chances to observe him and I would very much value your thoughts on the boy."

"Very well Albus," the transfiguration professor said, "Mr. Potter strikes me as very intelligent, though at first he seemed to try to hide it. He has a caring heart and will not stand of injustice, at least from what I've seen. He's very much a true Gryffindor. All in all I'd say he came out very well adjusted in spite of his childhood. Those people had him living in a cupboard under the stairs Albus!" At the mention of Harry's childhood she put on a deep disapproving scowl. This time Dumbledore did sigh. He and Minerva had repeated this argument about Harry's living arrangements many times over.

"His home life is regrettable Minerva, I do not deny that," Dumbledore admitted, "but I had no choice. I couldn't let Sirius Black have the boy, not after what he did. The next one in line would've been Remus Lupin but it surely would've gotten out that he was a werewolf and that would've caused far too much trouble. The general populace would never let the Boy Who Lived live with a werewolf and Fudge would've buckled under the pressure. The Dursleys were his closest living relatives and thus were the logical and legal choice. If I had known how they would treat him I would've found a better alternative but as it stands the blood wards are in place and there is no safer place for Harry than with his aunt and uncle. I admit I was naïve to think that the bonds of blood would overcome their prejudices but I truly had no choice then and I have no choice now."

"Albus I'm sorry I didn't mean to upset you, I just… I want what's best for the boy. I loved James and Lily like the children I never had, to see their son treated like that…" She could no longer speak due to the tears flowing from her eyes. Dumbledore put a hand on his old friend's shoulder to comfort her.

"I know Minerva, it hurts me too." He aid gently as he handed her a handkerchief. It took the transfiguration professor a minute to compose herself as she dabbed her eyes.

"Could you at least arrange to have the boy meet Remus? He needs to have a connection to his parents and I'm sure Remus would love it as well." Albus thought that over. It actually wasn't a bad idea. Harry did need a real father figure and in the absence of James and Sirius Remus would do nicely.

"I'll see what I can do to arrange a meeting this summer," He assured her, "Now what about friends? What sort of friends is Harry making?"

"In the beginning Mr. Potter spent a lot of time with Ronald Weasley but they seem to have had some sort of falling out around Halloween. Now most of his time is spent with Hermione Granger, a Muggleborn witch in his year and the best in her class. I must say that since then Mr. Potter's marks have improved considerably, so Ms. Granger has been a very good influence on him," McGonagall reported, "In addition to Ms. Granger the two of them are frequently seen with Katie Bell, and perhaps most worrisome of all he seems to have built a rapport with the Weasly twins."

"So he's taken a liking to the brightest witch of his year, who happens to be Muggleborn, is a Quidditch star, and has built a friend ship with the biggest pranksters in the school," Dumbledore smiled, his eyes twinkling, "Perhaps he's more like his father than we first thought."

"He's a bit more grounded than James was I think," Minerva said, "but despite what Severus says there are worse things in the world than being like James Potter. He had his flaws to be certain, but James Potter was ultimately a good man."

"Indeed, that will be all. Good night Minerva." Dumbledore said.

"Good night Albus." With that said the transfiguration teacher and Head of Gryffindor left the room. All in all Dumbledore had been pleased with the report he'd been given by Minerva. When he'd first found out about how the Dursleys had been treating their nephew he'd been worried that he might have another Tom Riddle on his hands. It seemed however that Harry's better nature was shining through despite his harsh upbringing. This made the old headmaster smile. He could already tell that Harry would make James and Lily proud. It seemed to Albus Dumbledore that if he was right and Lord Voldemort was still out there the fate of the wizarding world would be in good hands.

* * *

Fred and George Weasley stared at the Marauder's Map. Honestly they were getting worried about their favorite toy. It had been saying strange things this year. The most glaring one had to do with Professor Quirrell, the according to the map he constantly had someone named Tom Riddle practically on top of him.

"It's probably, just a glitch," Fred reasoned, "The map is rather old. Though I do hope it's not giving out. I'd miss it too much. This thing has been so useful for pranks over the years."

"I don't think it has to do with the maps age Fred," George said, "This things worked fine up until this point and it still functions properly otherwise."

"Well then how do you explain this Tom Riddle guy riding piggyback on Quirrell? Do you think our Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher is hiding another man under his cloak and turban? Do you think this Tom Riddle guy is just sticking out of the back of Quirrell's head or something?" Fred snarked.

"No, that would be crazy…" George said. Then his eyes widened, "Unless it's actually true!" His twin rolled his eyes.

"Next you'll be telling me that Tom Riddle is actually You Know Who."

"Still I think we should look into it Fred. It's really odd and the map has never lied to us before. Now what about this other strange thing? This Peter Pettigrew who's apparently sleeping in the same bed as Ron."

"That _is _weird George, wasn't that same guy sleeping with Percy for the last two years?"

"You know, you're right! That really is strange. I suppose we could ask Harry, he shares a dormitory with Ron."

"You're right Fred, we should do that," George said with a nod, "but first, mischief managed." With those words spoken the Marauder's map turned back into a blank piece of parchment and was safely stuffed away in George's pocket. The twins walked out of their dormitory and into the common room. They immediately spotted Harry who was, as he always was these days, sitting and chatting with Katie and Hermione.

"Hey Harry, sorry to bother you but we had a question." Fred said.

"It's not a problem, what is it guys?" Harry asked.

"Well," George said, "We were wondering if there was anyone named Peter Pettigrew in your dormitory."

"No, why?" Harry looked absolutely bewildered.

"A very reliable source told us that he's been sharing a bed with Ron." George explained.

"The only thing that shares a bed with Ron is Scabbers." Harry said.

"Oh well, don't worry about it." Fred said before the twins departed.

* * *

"I wonder what kind of source they meant." Harry thought aloud once Fred and George were out of earshot.

"It seems those two have secrets of their own." Katie said with a shrug.

"Peter Pettigrew…" Hermione muttered, "The name sounds familiar like I've heard it somewhere before."

"I know what you mean Hermione," Katie said, "I feel like I should know who that is, but I'm drawing a blank."

"I'll have to go to the library and look him up." Hermione began chewing on her lip, something Harry noticed she did when she was thinking.

"Speaking of looking things up in the library," Harry's voice took on a hushed tone, they had now entered a more delicate subject matter that people shouldn't overhear, "Any luck finding anything on Nicholas Flamel?"

"No, sorry. Hermione and I have been looking through every book we can get our hands on but so far we haven't found anything." Katie said.

"It's alright; I'll come help you look tomorrow." Harry said.

"That's a good idea; we have Quidditch practice tomorrow so the extra pair of hands and eyes will help make up for the lost time." Katie said.

"So we'll meet in the library tomorrow after you two get back from Quidditch practice?" Hermione asked. The other two nodded.

"Well I'm a bit tired, so I'm going to turn in for the night." Katie announced getting up. Both Harry and Hermione bid her a good night and Katie went up the stairs to her dormitory.

"So what do you want to do now Hermione?" Harry asked.

"I don't know," She said, "We'd already finished our homework." The two of them were quiet for several minutes as they thought about what to do.

"Neville seems to be having trouble with his work, maybe we should help him." Harry suggested as he noted the struggles their fellow first year was having with his homework. The poor boy didn't seem to have much in the way of friends. In that manner he reminded the pair of Hermione before they had become friends, but he was also painfully shy so it unlikely that he would ask for help on his own.

"That's a wonderful idea Harry." Hermione agreed. They walked up to Neville and sat down next to him.

"Hello Harry, Hermione, did you need something?"

"Oh we just noticed that it looked like you were having trouble and wanted to ask if we could help."

"Oh I wouldn't want to impose…" Neville protested.

"It's not imposing Neville, we'd be glad to help you." Hermione assured.

"Well ok, if you really want to…" Neville said.

"We're sure Neville." With that out of the way they began the impromptu tutoring session.

Katie found the door to her dormitory blocked her fellow Chasers by Angelina Johnson and Alicia Spinnet. She quirked an eyebrow at the two dark skinned girls barring her entrance to her bed. Both of them were a year ahead of her, this wasn't their dormitory. What did they want?

"Hi Angelina, Alicia, do you need something?"

"Oh not really," Alicia said, "We were just wondering why you haven't been spending much time with us outside of the Quidditch field lately." Katie sighed; she should've known this was coming.

"Oh, that. It's just that I took Harry and Hermione under my wing like you two did for me last year. Helping them get adjusted is taking a lot of my time." It wasn't a lie, but it wasn't the whole truth either. Katie just hoped that would be enough to satisfy them so they would move on.

"Okay, fair enough," Angelina said, "but even that shouldn't take up so much time that you don't have time for us." Well this wasn't going well at all. It seemed she'd have to give these two a little more to chew on before they would let her be.

"Well you see it's a bit more involved than you think…" Katie said.

"More involved how Katie?" Alicia asked.

"I'm sorry I can't tell you." She replied. She wasn't about to tell these two about Fluffy and what he was guarding. They were her friends and this was dangerous. Harry and Hermione had tumbled upon this whole thing by accident and she'd been drawn in by association. There was something deep and mysterious going on at Hogwarts, something she'd already been warned away from by Hagrid. That wasn't going to top her and new her friends from looking into it, not with Snape potentially trying to steal whatever Fluffy was guarding, but it made no sense to endanger any other students by telling them. Harry had already nearly died because of what he knew.

"Why can't you tell us Katie," Angelina asked, "Don't you trust us?"

"It's not about that," Katie said. Some of the frustration she was feeling with this conversation was leaking into her voice, "I do trust you, but I still can't tell you what's going on. I'm sorry, but you're the ones who are going to have to trust _me_ on this one. I wouldn't hide something from you unless I had a _really_ good reason, you know that. So please, just drop it."

"Alright, we'll trust you." Angelina said. The two girls moved out of the doorway and allowed Katie to go to bed. He hated being so harsh with them but it was for their own good.

* * *

Okay that's another chapter in the books. Well, not really as none of this chapter was in the books, unlike the last two. I hope you all enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it. It was fun pointing out and lampshading some of Rowling's plot holes, such as tat bit with the Marauder's Map.

Also I'm trying to portray Dumbledore in a more positive light than I've seen in most Harry/Hermione fics. He's not an evil manipulative bastard, he's just a man. He's made mistakes and he knows it, but he does have Harry's best interest at heart. I hope I succeeded in conveying this here. I look forward to your reviews and I will see you next chapter.


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